The various types of watercraft currently commercialized include a wide range of different onboard independent hydraulic systems. These onboard independent hydraulic systems are part of the operational systems of the watercraft on which they are installed. They can be used in the operation of various systems of the watercraft, such as the watercraft steering system and the watercraft propulsion system, and any other device attached thereto and used thereon.
Steering systems found in watercraft, and more particularly motorized watercraft, are often operated via hydraulic systems. Such hydraulic systems usually include a driving hydraulic actuator, such as a manually operated pump, connected to the steering helm of the watercraft, a driven hydraulic actuator, such as a piston and cylinder assembly or a rotary hydraulic actuator, connected to the watercraft propulsion system, such as an outboard marine engine, a stern drive or a water jet propulsion system, and various conduits or hydraulic hoses, connecting the driving and driven hydraulic actuators. In these hydraulic systems, operation of the driving hydraulic actuator causes corresponding actuation of the driven hydraulic actuator thus steering the watercraft. A variety of such systems is well known in the art and examples can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,176,549; 5,266,060; 5,340,341; 5,447,456; and 6,790,110.
The operation of watercraft propulsion systems also often involves other hydraulic systems. For example, watercraft using outboard engines are often equipped with what is known in the art as “tilt/trim systems”. As an example, a marine outboard engine generally has a stern bracket assembly that is fixed to the stern of the watercraft and to an outboard marine engine main unit incorporating an internal combustion engine, propeller and the like. The outboard marine engine is typically designed so that the steering angle and the tilt/trim angles of the outboard marine engine relative to the watercraft can be adjusted and modified as desired (as discussed above regarding the steering angle). The stern bracket assembly typically includes a swivel bracket carrying the outboard engine for pivotal movement about a steering axis, and a clamping bracket supporting the swivel bracket and the outboard engine for pivotal movement about a tilt axis extending generally horizontally.
Known tilt/trim systems typically comprise a tilt hydraulic cylinder unit for swinging the swivel bracket through a relatively large angle to lift the lower portion of the outboard marine engine above the water level or, conversely, lower this lower portion of the outboard marine engine below the water level. Such systems may further comprise a distinct trim hydraulic cylinder unit for angularly moving the swivel bracket through a relatively small angle to trim the outboard engine while the lower portion thereof is being submerged. Hydraulic tilt/trim systems are known in the art and examples of such systems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,521,202; 5,176,093; 5,195,914; 5,505,641; 5,718,613; 5,816,872; 6,220,905; 6,607,410; 6,656,004; and 6,948,988.
A wide variety of other movable structures mounted to a watercraft exists. In many instances, such movable structures are operated via hydraulic systems. Examples of such movable structures operated through hydraulic systems include boat towers and various movable platforms like boarding bridges and platforms found at the rear of large yacht and used to get small watercraft such as personal watercraft out of the water when they are not used. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,613,462; 6,474,256; 6,938,572; and 7,520,240; and US Patent Applications with Publications No. 2008/0156250A1; 2009/0235857A1; and 2010/0089302A1 show various examples of such movable structures operated through various hydraulic systems.
Maintenance of such onboard hydraulic systems require replacement of the fluid used therein, which involves the bleeding of the fluid already in the system, the filling thereof by new fluid, and the purging of gas (often just air) that may have entered the system. The purging of gas having entered any of those hydraulic systems, for example a hydraulic steering system, may be of particular importance for maintaining the watercraft in appropriate operation condition. A hydraulic steering system operating with less than the required level of fluid or with too much gas within the system will be less responsive and such presence of air in the system can be damaging for certain hydraulic systems. One example of a system that exists to fill/bleed/purge a hydraulic steering system is the Teleflex® SeaStar® Power Purge System Part No. HA5447.
However, maintenance of any onboard hydraulic system may be time consuming, inappropriately done (if done manually by some watercraft owner), costly and messy, which can be the case when oily hydraulic fluids have to be filled or bled within the watercraft, as is the case regarding most hydraulic steering systems when maintenance is performed using portable filling/bleeding/purging equipments operated on the watercraft's deck. Furthermore, such portable filling/bleeding/purging equipments are relatively expensive and are often owned by professionals of watercraft maintenance charging additional fees for doing the maintenance of a watercraft's onboard hydraulic systems.
In view of the above, there is a need for a system that would allow low cost, clean, quick, timely and simple filling, bleeding and/or purging of an independent hydraulic system for operating at least one second system used in the operation of the watercraft.